1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to an apparatus for surgically treating tissue. In particular, the disclosure relates to a mechanism for orienting a distal portion of the instrument by manipulating an actuator at a proximal end of the instrument.
2. Background of Related Art
Instruments such as electrosurgical forceps are commonly used in open and endoscopic surgical procedures to coagulate, cauterize and seal tissue. Such forceps typically include a pair of jaws that can be controlled by a surgeon to grasp targeted tissue, such as, e.g., a blood vessel. The jaws may be approximated to apply a mechanical clamping force to the tissue, and are associated with at least one electrode to permit the delivery of electrosurgical energy to the tissue. The combination of the mechanical clamping force and the electrosurgical energy has been demonstrated to join adjacent layers of tissue captured between the jaws. When the adjacent layers of tissue include the walls of a blood vessel, sealing the tissue may result in hemostasis, which may facilitate the transection of the sealed tissue. A detailed discussion of the use of an electrosurgical forceps may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 7,255,697 to Dycus et al.
Some endoscopic forceps are provided with a distal articulating portion to permit orientation of the jaws relative to a surgical site within the body of a patient. Mechanisms for articulating the distal end of an endoscopic instrument typically include a pair of drive cables or tensile members with distal ends anchored to the articulating portion on opposite sides of an instrument axis. The proximal ends of the drive cables are operatively coupled to an actuator that is responsive to an operator to draw one of the drive cables proximally while simultaneously permitting distal motion in the other drive cable. This opposed motion in the drive cables induces pivotal motion of the distal end of the instrument.
Often during a surgical procedure, the surgeon may be inclined to execute various procedures with the distal portion of a forceps in an articulated configuration. For example, approximating the jaws and initiating the delivery of electrosurgical energy may be performed once the forceps is articulated to move the jaws adjacent the targeted tissue. Thus, it may be advantageous to provide a surgical instrument that permits the distal portion to be maintained in an articulated configuration while various procedures are executed. Mechanisms that permit this articulation functionality are often bulky or unwieldy, particularly when the mechanisms to perform the other procedures are also incorporated into a single surgical instrument.